Indian Spiced Hash Browns

Long weekends are pretty fantastic. There’s just something about that extra day off work—about sleeping in on Monday morning—that feels so… luxurious. It almost feels as though you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing. Like playing hooky. Dodging work. But the good news? There’s no guilt. Sleep in late. And when you wake up? Linger over your coffee. Make a big breakfast.

That’s just what we did this morning. Well, I should clarify: that’s what I did. Patrick’s been working all weekend. But—today, at least—he was able to work from home, rather than going into the office. So while he woke up earlier than me, and has been hunched over his computer all day, he was able to enjoy a big, delicious breakfast. Something to help him power through all that work.

I’ve been looking for an opportunity to make hash browns for some time now. But I wanted to do something a little different than the average hash brown. I love spiced potatoes in Indian dishes—all that cumin, coriander, cayenne, oh my! And I thought that these spices would make for some pretty wonderful hash browns. And were they ever. Top with a fried egg, and you’ve got a seriously delectable breakfast to enjoy on a lazy weekend morning—or a luxurious Monday morning, as the case may be.

I hope that everyone had an equally delicious President’s Day weekend.

In a large pan, heat a couple splashes of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion—along with some salt and pepper (to taste)—and cook until soft, translucent, and just starting to turn golden brown. Next, add the garlic, ginger, and jalapeño to the pan, and cook for 1 minute. Finally, add the spices, and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and place the onion and spice mixture in a bowl. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, peel and grate the potatoes. I used the grater attachment on my food processor, but you could also use an old fashioned box grater. Next, drain as much water as possible from the potatoes. I did this by placing the grated potatoes in a potato ricer, and pressing down on the potatoes to squeeze out all the excess water. If you don’t have a potato ricer, just use your hands and some paper towels to squeeze out the excess water. Add the grated and drained potatoes to the bowl with the onion and spice mixture, along with salt (to taste). Using your (clean) hands or a large spoon, mix everything together until combined.

In the same pan that you cooked the onions in, heat approximately 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, but not smoking, you’re ready to cook the hash browns—note that you’ll do this in 2 batches. Take 1/4 of the potato mixture, and place on one side of the hot pan. Using a fork and/or spatula, spread the potatoes out into a large, thin pancake (about 1/4 inch thick). Repeat with another 1/4 of the potato mixture on the other side of the pan (see photo). Once the underside is golden brown (3-5 minutes), flip using a large spatula. Continue to cook until that side is golden brown as well (another 3-5 minutes). Remove from pan. At this point, I placed the hash browns on a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess oil. Repeat with the remaining 1/2 of the potato mixture. Once you’re done, you’ll have 4 crispy hash browns.*

Top each serving of hash browns with a fried egg, cooked to order, and some fresh chopped chives, for garnish. Enjoy on a lazy weekend morning.

* If you need to reheat the hash browns, simply pop them back in the pan for a couple minutes.